The Great Annihilator is the ninth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released on January 23, 1995, through frontman Michael Gira's own record label, Young God. The album has been described by Gira as a companion album to his solo album Drainland (1995); the two were remastered and re-released together in April 2017.[3]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Blurt | [5] |
| Classic Rock | [6] |
| CMJ New Music Monthly | favorable[7] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 9/10[8] |
| New Noise Magazine |  [2] |
| Pitchfork | 7.2/10[9] |
| PopMatters |   [10] |
| Spectrum Culture | 3.75/5[11] |
The Great Annihilator received a generally positive reception from critics. AllMusic called the album "an epic, incredible work of art."[4] Trouser Press, on the other hand, wrote that the album "reveals [...] that the band is running out of ideas", commenting that is "unlikely to satisfy long-term followers. A more accessible Swans may also be a less cathartic one."[12]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Michael Gira; all music is composed by Gira, except tracks 8 and 16 (which are also composed by Jarboe).
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "In" | 2:27 |
| 2. | "I Am the Sun" | 3:23 |
| 3. | "She Lives!" | 7:00 |
| 4. | "Celebrity Lifestyle" | 4:10 |
| 5. | "Mother/Father" | 4:07 |
| 6. | "Blood Promise" | 4:15 |
| 7. | "Mind/Body/Light/Sound" | 4:52 |
| 8. | "My Buried Child" | 2:58 |
| 9. | "Warm" | 4:54 |
| 10. | "Alcohol the Seed" | 3:29 |
| 11. | "Killing for Company" | 6:55 |
| 12. | "Mother's Milk" | 2:26 |
| 13. | "Where Does a Body End?" | 3:42 |
| 14. | "Telepathy" | 6:11 |
| 15. | "The Great Annihilator" | 4:53 |
| 16. | "Out" | 2:24 |
| Total length: | 68:06 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 17. | "I Am the Sun" (Live at the Flesh Club 1996) | 5:48 |
| Total length: | 73:54 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 17. | "You See Through Me" | 5:41 |
| 18. | "Where Does Your Body Begin?" | 3:04 |
| 19. | "I See Them All Lined Up" | 4:13 |
| 20. | "Unreal" | 4:48 |
| 21. | "Fan Letter" | 7:01 |
| 22. | "Your Naked Body" | 2:30 |
| 23. | "Low Life Form" | 3:41 |
| 24. | "If You..." | 4:41 |
| 25. | "Why I Ate My Wife" | 5:53 |
| 26. | "Blind" | 4:33 |
| Total length: | 46:05 | |
Personnel
Credits adapted from The Great Annihilator liner notes.[13][14]
References
- ^ Terich, Jeff (September 26, 2013). "Beginner's Guide: Swans". Treblezine. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
- ^ a b c Haugen, Tom (September 26, 2017). "Album Review: Swans – The Great Annihilator / Drainland". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ Gira, Michael (2017). "Great Annihilator / Drainland (Remastered 2017)" (Press release). Young God Records. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ a b Raggett, Ned. "The Great Annihilator – Swans : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ Mills, Fred (May 24, 2017). "SWANS - The Great Annihilator/Drainland". Blurt. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ^ Lawson, Dom (April 28, 2017). "Swans – The Great Annihilator Album Review". Classic Rock. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ Jarman, David (March 1995). "Reviews". CMJ. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ Cartledge, Luke (April 21, 2017). "Swans' The Great Annihilator Chews Us Up and Swallows Us Whole". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (April 29, 2017). "Swans: The Great Annihilator". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ Schiller, Mike (June 28, 2017). "Swans: The Great Annihilator / Michael Gira: Drainland". PopMatters. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ Beaudoin, Jedd (May 11, 2017). "Swans / Michael Gira: The Great Annihilator / Drainland". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ Leland, John; Sheridan, David; Kenny, Glenn; Frampton, Scott. "Trouserpress.com :: Swans". Trouser Press. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ The Great Annihilator (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 1995. YGCD 009.
- ^ The Great Annihilator (2017 remaster) (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 2017. YG59.